Micro Identification Technologies Inc. has developed and patented a rapid microbial identification system that revolutionizes the pathogenic bacteria ID process. Offering significant advantages over today’s methods of microbial detection, the company’s MIT 1000 Rapid Microbial Identification System can identify bacteria in less than five minutes.

The company’s technology does not rely on chemical or biological agents, conventional processing, fluorescent tags, gas chromatography or DNA analysis. The MIT 1000 System identifies bacteria with a laser that uses the principle of light scattering with proprietary PC-based software algorithms to test samples at less than $0.10 per test. MIT’s technology can save tens of millions of dollars annually and thousands of lives.

MIT’s primary focus is on food safety where over the past few years a vast amount of food contamination occurrences have been recorded. The Center for Disease Control reports that over 325,000 food contamination events cause 5,000 deaths annually. MIT’s technology can also be used for applications in clinical diagnostics, pharmaceutical and semiconductor processing as well as drinking water testing. The technology is also adaptable to perform identification of the air.

Microbial testing pioneer MIT will pursue each of the various applications for its technology over the next few years. Industry revenues for all rapid testing methods exceed $5 billion annually; of that figure food safety accounts for over $3 billion. Having expanded at a rate of 9.2 percent annually since 1998, current annual growth projections for the industry are at 30 percent, driven by major health, safety and homeland security issues.